


Time Heals All Wounds

by ProPinkist



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Family, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post 100+ Spoilers, big brother Zeno, sap times 100
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2015-09-13
Packaged: 2018-04-20 16:25:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4794299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProPinkist/pseuds/ProPinkist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mere days after Hiryuu's death, Zeno finds someone in need of comforting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time Heals All Wounds

**Author's Note:**

> Got this idea from something briefly discussed in the HHB chat a few days ago. I fully admit that I cannot write children to save my life; I made him sound fairly mature, and yet I still insisted on using the whole "not mentioning death" cliche so ughhh, I apologize if it's off-putting. ...This couldn't work in canon, since Yak-shi only knows Zeno as a priest in chapter 103, and if he /had/ known him when he was younger, he would definitely question why he still looked the same twenty years later. But I still thought it was a nice-sounding idea. ^^

Zeno hurried through the castle’s veranda purposefully, his mind only thinking of what he had been tasked with, and nothing else. He, as well as the others surely, was very grateful to be kept so busy, if it would take his mind off of the _reason_ for it all (it sounded contradictory, but it was true).

Four days ago, they had finally lost the one most precious to them; their reason for being here, their brother, their _everything_.

Now the palace was abuzz with people trying to take care of everything that needed to be done: making arrangements for the King’s funeral, assisting the Queen with the massive amount of duties she now had, among other things. To make matters even worse, yesterday there had been yet another skirmish that the four of them had had to go take care of. It wasn’t surprising that this would happen with the castle currently being so vulnerable, and it was a small enough army… but it pushed them to their breaking point. It was such a cliché, the whole “crying in the rain” scene… but once it was all over, Abi collapsed both from using his eyes and also from being mentally spent, and they held him tightly as he cried and cried, and it wasn’t long before they joined him. Even though the Red Dragon had returned to the Heavens, it seemed as if the sky still mourned for Hiryuu, the human, who had touched so many people with his wisdom and overwhelming kindness and love, who could never be replaced.

Today was the first day since then it hadn’t rained.

Indeed, it was rather bright and sunny, just like it had been five days ago when they had brought the King outside and tried to just enjoy the weather and pretend like nothing was wrong _(which was of course impossible)_. Zeno wasn’t sure whether he liked the fact that it had stopped raining or not.

So focused on his mission as he was, Zeno quickly turned the corner rapidly, and proceeded to run right into someone who was sitting there… a rather small someone.

“Oh, I’m so so- Yak-shi! It’s you!” He quickly knelt down and helped the King’s son up, the little boy rubbing his head in pain. “I’m sorry I ran into you, are you okay?” he asked kindly.

“…Yeah… I’m fine…” he mumbled, managing to smile a little at Zeno to show he was okay. Zeno decided that what he had to do could wait, and he motioned for Yak-shi to sit back down where he had been, and he joined him.

“…So what are you doing here? I’m sure everyone is worried sick, not knowing where you are.” Zeno asked quietly. He didn’t want to push him, but he knew the boy had probably felt incredibly lonely in the past few days. He needed someone to talk to.

Yak-shi curled tighter into the ball he was in, making his words come out muffled. “Wanted to get out of the room… too loud everywhere… and everyone is so sad. If I had to be alone… I wanted to come out.”

Zeno’s throat tightened, and he reached over and pulled him closer to him, hugging him. “I understand… I’m sorry you have been left all alone. That isn’t right.”

After a long moment of silence, Yak-shi spoke, so quietly that Zeno could barely understand him.

“Zeno, is it true that… we can’t see Daddy anymore… that he’s gone?” His voice cracked. “That’s what everyone is saying…”

Zeno knew he had to try to be the strong one here, but at that, he couldn’t keep his tears from flowing. He let out a sob, and turned so that he was directly facing Yak-shi, pulling him into a fierce hug.

“I’m so sorry… I’m _sorry_ , Yak-shi,” he choked. He knew he didn’t have anything to apologize for, but he didn’t know what else to say. He had always felt useless, with his power being so unhelpful and being told to stay behind all the time… but he hadn’t known what true helplessness had felt like (none of them had) until he had been forced to watch his king wither away before his eyes. “He was taken away too soon… and none of us could do anything to stop it.”

Yak-shi was crying now too, obviously trying to keep it in but being unable to. “Every time I went to see Daddy, he would smile and laugh and talk with me… and I didn’t know why he was always in bed, and I always thought that I shouldn’t leave him alone when they pulled me away, because I think it made him sad… and… and…” He was at the height of his emotions now, his breath coming in gasps. _“I didn’t know he was going to go away forever! I should have been with him more!!!_ I… I should have… told Daddy I loved him more… should have done more… the last time…” He continued to wail, and what little remained of Zeno’s heart broke away.

“Yak-shi…” he whispered, stroking his hair gently. “Don’t blame yourself; it’s not your fault. Your Daddy loved you _very_ much, and he didn’t want to hurt you by telling you he was going to… go away.” It hurt to use those oh-so-innocent words, but it was necessary. “He loved you, and he knew how much you loved him. You didn’t have to show him; he’s always known. We…” His voice cracked. “…We loved him too; me, and Guen, and Abi, and Shuten, and your mother, and everyone in the kingdom practically. We’ll always miss him… but now, all we can do is try to remember all the happy times we had with him. I know that that’s what he would want us to do, especially you. …We’ll all be here for you, Yak-shi. So don’t worry,” he finished quietly.

“…Why did he have to go… Do you know why, Zeno?” he asked once he had a pause in his sobbing.

_Because he came to Earth as a dragon in a human’s body, a soul which couldn’t last forever like that_. That was the truth, but of course he couldn’t say that.

“I… don’t know… I wish I did… I’m sorry.” It was a half-truth, at least. He didn’t know why someone so special, so different from all the horrible people in the world had to be taken away so soon. _(there was also another “why” he wished to know, but he had a feeling this one would never be answered… not that it even mattered anymore, right?)_

He let Yak-shi cry into him for a while, his robes getting wet but not caring in the slightest. This child would have so many burdens placed on his shoulders growing up, and he could only hope that he and the others would be able to offer him even a fraction of the support his father would have provided. …Even still, Zeno already had a feeling that he would grow up to be a fine leader. He may not have been a dragon, but that hardly mattered; he had Hiryuu’s blood in him, and would be every bit of the amazing person he had been.

Eventually, Yak-shi slowly pulled away, rubbing his eyes, and smiled up at Zeno weakly. “Thanks… for telling me these things…” He blushed a little bit, and then looked down at his fidgeting hands, making Zeno curious.

“I… I love you, Zeno.”


End file.
